The Indian Navy LHD programme is an approximately ₹80,000 crore (roughly US$9.1 billion) effort to acquire large amphibious warfare ships — originally conceived as Landing Platform Docks (LPDs) and increasingly reconceptualised as fuller Landing Helicopter Docks (LHDs) or “pocket aircraft carriers” — that combine troop and vehicle transport, helicopter/drone air operations, and amphibious assault capability in a single hull.[1]
The programme reflects a doctrinal shift in Indian Navy thinking toward multi-role amphibious ships that fuse troop deployment, aerial power projection, and increasingly unmanned/drone-based warfare into one versatile platform, rather than building single-purpose amphibious transports. Updated 2026 Navy doctrine explicitly reimagines these ships as potential “drone motherships,” integrating unmanned combat aerial vehicles into the core design philosophy from the outset.[1][2]
As of April 2026, the programme entered technical evaluation, with five Indian shipyards — Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL), Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL), Larsen & Toubro (L&T), Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE), and Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) — competing for the contract in partnership with international naval design houses, including Spain’s Navantia (Juan Carlos I design), France’s Naval Group (Mistral class), South Korea’s Hanwha (Dokdo class), and Italy’s Fincantieri (Trieste design).[1]
| Type | Landing Helicopter Dock / amphibious assault ship (“pocket carrier”) |
| Planned fleet size | 4 ships |
| Estimated programme cost | ~₹80,000 crore (~US$9.1 billion) |
| Displacement (planned) | 30,000–40,000 tonnes |
| Troop capacity | 900+ (battalion-equivalent) |
| Competing Indian yards | MDL, CSL, L&T, GRSE, HSL |
| Design partners under consideration | Navantia, Naval Group, Hanwha, Fincantieri |
| Status (2026) | Technical evaluation phase |